Drone View 4K - 2 Jahre nach der Naturkatastrophe bei der EISARENA Königssee Bayern Germany

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This film footage was taken with the DJI Mini 4 Pro during my holiday at the Königssee in Bayern Germany 10 April 2024.


Königssee 2 year ago, a violent storm severely damaged the Königssee ice arena. The upper part of the 2021 World Championship’s track is affected from the men's to the women's and doubles' start. Even one year after the storm, no decision has been made about the future of the world's first artificial ice track, which was originally built in 1968 and 1969.
After the storm on the night of 17 to 18 July 2021, the clean-up work at the ice arena lasted many weeks and is still not completely finished after almost 3 years. According to estimates by those responsible, about 10 to 15 percent of the track has been destroyed. German politicians therefore spoke out very early on in favour of rebuilding the track for luge, bobsleigh and skeleton.

The fact that the facility on the slopes of the Grünstein, which was built in 1960 as the world's first artificial ice rink, should be reconstructed has already been politically clear in principle since Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder and the then Federal Finance Minister and current Chancellor Olaf Scholz rushed to Königssee the day after the storm and promised help. The federal government is providing 53.5 million euros for this. The money comes from an aid pot set up after the flood disaster in July 2021. At that time, more than 130 people were killed and countless houses were destroyed in the Ahr Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate alone. In Schönau am Königssee, after the heavy rain that night, large amounts of mud, rubble and driftwood damaged several houses and filled the top part of the bobsleigh track, partially taking it away.

Currently, they are waiting for the results of a geological and hydrological report on the reconstruction. The reports are to show which structural protective measures are necessary to secure the artificial ice track and the houses below. The chief of the track Markus Aschauer suspects that a wall around twelve metres high and/or a retention basin for up to 7,000 cubic metres of debris from the mountain will have to be built: “Before we start the reconstruction of our track we have to build a system which is avoiding that the track can be destroyed again. We call it “project safety building”. At the moment we don’t know how it looks. It could be a concrete wall or whatever. First we have to build the object protection”.  
After the object protection, the next steps as a result of the expert opinions would presumably be a straightening of the Klingerbach, the demolition of the Men's start up to curve 3 (bridge curve) and the recycling of the concrete. Markus Aschauer is thinking about the current shortage of raw materials, the important climate protection, rising energy costs and is convinced: "We want to go new ways with more insulation, massive savings in energy costs, sustainable building materials and recycling of the existing concrete. The refurbished track at Königssee should set new standards!"If everything goes optimally, then Aschauer reckons in the most optimistic case that "in 2025 a luge World Cup could take place at Königssee again."

TRACK HISTORY
Between the mighty Watzmann massif and the Grünstein you'll find one of the most modern and also the first artificial ice rink in the world, the LOTTO Bayern Eisarena Königssee. Below the traditional sports facility is the majestic Königssee, carving its impressive path into the mountains like a fjord, lending its name to the ice arena. In 1959 the construction of a natural ice track for luge started on the site of the current artificial ice track. In January 1960, the ice facility at Königssee was opened with the first International South German Luge Championships.The track was iced using ice blocks (up to 10.000 ice blocks per season), which were cut out of the lakes Königssee, Hintersee and the Auschauerweiher pond and transported to the track. Increasing periods of warm weather were responsible for the ice layer melting away early. Due to these irregular weather conditions the ice track at the lake Königssee was reconstructed and converted into the first artificial ice track worldwide in 1968. In 1976 the Kreisel was integrated in the track and the deceleration stretch was extended, so that starting from that time the track was suitable to host four-man bob events as well.After the reconstruction in 2010 the artificial ice track at the lake Königssee has become one of the state-of-the-art tracks worldwide. In addition to competitive sports, the Eisarena Königssee also offers guest tobogganing for amateurs and sports enthusiasts, as well as guided tours to get a look behind the scenes of an artificial ice rink. Our spacious hospitality lounge is available at any time for events of all kinds.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?
It is the first and the oldest artificial ice track worldwide.